30 Jan 2025

Government is searching for suitable partners for the attainment of sustainable developments and uplifting of citizenry livelihoods.

Officiating during the United Nation Economic Commission for Africa engagement session with government of Botswana, Vice President and Minister of Finance, Mr Ndaba Gaolathe highlighted that plans were at an advanced stage to identify potential partners in various sectors.

He said the current regime was keen on transforming the country to one of the best managed states on the continent and a paragon of unity, fairness and prosperity.

He said government realised that it could not succeed alone on that mission without identification of an ideal partner for the success of both State Owned Enterprises and SMMEs.

“We have begun to ponder on the ideal type of partner for the new Botswana and we have so far identified certain characteristics that identifies an ideal partner for new Botswana. We are first looking for partners that would be in for a long time and not in for quick cash and we are making remarkable process in identifying such partner, ” he said.

 Mr Gaolathe indicated that government was also looking for a partner with financial resources as well as high impact ideas.

Those, he said, were some of the ideal characteristics that defined a suitable partner that Botswana would be looking for to transform the country adding that the government had identified that the destiny for success was into picking a suitable and reliable partner.

Mr Gaolathe said the country was looking up to institutions such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa for guidance given the vast experiences it possess.

On issues of improving efficiency, Mr Gaolathe said Botswana had a long history of strong public service institutions.

 He nonetheless admitted lapses where certain processes in budgetary and prioritisation of development projects failed in the past.

“There is need to bring back basic governmental processes in place in an effort to make government more efficient and functional at all times,” he said.

 He further stated that the identification of economic drivers would be keen on mechanising mega projects that would create the much needed employment opportunities for the citizenry.

Additionally, Mr Gaolathe reaffirmed government’s commitment towards the reconfiguration of the beef ecosystem and its livestock farming value chain.

“We will be aggressive in moving away from the monopolistic ecosystem and create room from partnerships that could bring technology and open up markets and bring new players into the beef sector,” he said.

He said it was equally important for farmers to also realise the immense potential in the beef sector and refrain from considering livestock farming as a hobby. ENDS